Stamp, meter, indicia
Here’s a quick tip… If you’re doing a mailing, you can increase response rates just by changing the way that you handle the postage. An indicia (the pre-printed panel that says “Postage Paid”), screams ‘bulk mail’ and is least likely to get your envelope opened. A meter is better, but a stamp is best, in that people are most likely to open an envelope that’s stamped. They can’t tell a pre-cancelled stamp from a regular stamp, so it doesn’t cost more in postage, although a mailhouse might charge a penny or two more per piece to put on a stamp. It’s worth it since it increases your response rate.
Want to increase your response rate further? A commemorative stamp beats a regular stamp, and two stamps beat a single stamp. If you really want that envelope opened, you can use old U.S. stamps, which you can often buy for 90 cents on the dollar (a ten cent stamp costs only nine cents), and have a row of them across your envelope. It takes more time to apply, but it certainly gets people’s attention!
Do you have questions about direct mailings, especially for nonprofits? Write me, Katherine Wertheim, CFRE, at katherine@werth-it.com, or post a question on my blog at www.werth-it.com/blog.